Class 1: Principles of Gardening in the PNW and the Allium Family

Jim Olson and Gia Parsons

Objectives of this Presentation

• We will present basic veggie gardening

concepts on how to successfully grow your

groceries in the Pacific Northwest.

• Share personal growing experiences and

techniques based on WSU guidelines.

• Learn from our triumphs and our failures

So You Want to Start a Veggie GardenWhy?

• You have the space

• You have the time

• You love fresh produce

• You love variety

• You practice sustainability/organic

gardening

• You love delicious things

Presentation Outline

• Site

• Soil

• Species

• Starts

• Sustain

• Savor

--------------------------------

• Alliums-Gia/Jim

The 6

Gardening

S’s-We

emphasize

prevention

Understand Your PNW Climate

• We are in Zone 8 approximately (10-20º F).

• We have 2 short growing season for cool crops.

(greens, brassicas, radishes, carrots.) Be aware of

microclimates.

• We have a short growing seasons for hot crops.

(cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, melons, and

tomatoes.)

• Generally a wide variety of soils with a low pH.

• We have a dry season that can last from June to

September.

Site-Choosing a Garden Site

• Your site needs:

• Sunlight

• Access to

water

• Level soil

• Good drainage

Site-Garden Layout

• Build your raised beds or rows north to south to

allow for the best sun.

• Place your boxes or pots in the sunniest location

possible. 6+ hours of sun per day.

• Beds should be 3-4 feet wide, make sure you can

reach the middle of the bed.

• Paths should be wide enough to walk through

comfortably.

• Boxes and pots need to be close to water.

Soil-For New Beds-Preparing the Soil

• Choose your site.

Remove all grass,

weeds, rocks, etc.

• Soil test-King

Conservation District

for soil nutrients

• Mason Jar Test, for soil

composition

• Thumb and Ribbon

Test, for soil structure

Soil-For Existing Beds

• Have a professional soil test completed,

and/or do a Mason Jar Test or, and/or

Thumb/Ribbon Test.

• Follow amendment directions in the soil

test report to address nutrient issues.

• If you don’t get a soil test, apply 6-7

pounds of a complete organic fertilizer,

5-5-5 per 1000 sq. foot of garden.

Soil-For Boxes and Pots

• The bigger the box/pot the better.

• Less watering, more growing.

• Add good garden soil from your garden or

make the best soil you can.

Soil-To Till or Not to Till

• For new gardens and existing ones, add air and

loosen soil or not.

• Add the necessary amendments based on your

soil test(s), dig into the soil or not.

• Soil amendments are compost, biosolids, green

manure, manure, perlite, vermiculite.

• Other examples: coffee grounds, lime, sand, egg

shells, AZOMITE, rock dust, biochar, and more.

Species-Sample Planting Calendar-Source Territorial Seed

Species-Actual Planting “Calendar”

• Spinach-Soil Temp.

for germination 45-

75ºF

• Tomato-Soil Temp.

for germination 70-

90ºF

• Soil Temp. for

Tomato Transplant

>55ºF

Start-Types of Plant Starts

-Onion sets

-Bulbs (garlic, shallots)

-Canes (brambles/berries)

-Crowns (asparagus)

-Tubers (potatoes/yacon)

-Transplants, don’t forget to harden off

Start-Your Site is Ready

• You can use seed or transplants

Sustain-From Survive to Thrive

• Raise the heat

• Mulches

• Raised Beds

• Cloches and

Beyond

• Feeding your

Plants

• Watering-an Art

• Limit Competition

• Pollination

Sustain-Raise the Heat-Colored Mulches

• Basic Black

-Shown to warm soil up to 5ºF at a 2-inch depth

and up to 3ºF warmer at a 4-inch depth

-Reduces weeds and reduces watering need

• Red

-Certain crops perform better : tomatoes - 20%

more fruit; basil - bigger and more succulent

leaves and strawberries – bigger, better, more

Raise the Heat-Colored Mulches

• Green

-Shown to encourage

earlier ripening and

greater yields of

cantaloupes

• Clear

-Brings the heat, but

also the weeds

Sustain-Raise the Heat: Cloches and Floating Row Covers

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-NDThis Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Sustain-Raise the Heat: Cold Frames and Raised Beds

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Sustain-Feed Your PlantsKnow Your Plants Needs

• Low: 3 lb/1000

ft²

• Baby greens

• Cucumber

• Radish

• Spinach

• Squash

• Med: 4 lb/1000

ft ²

• Carrot

• Corn

• Garlic

• Lettuce

• Melon

• Onion

• Pepper/Tomato

• High: 5 lb/1000 ft²

• Brassicas

• Celery

• Potato

• Blueberries

Sustain-Watering-An Art

• Which holds more water

• Dry sponge?

• Wet sponge?

• Drench versus drip

• Too Dry?

• Too Wet?

• Know the specific needs

of your crops.

Sustain-Pollination

• Optimize

Pollination

by growing

flowering

plants

alongside

your crops.

Pollination

• Limit the exposure of

pollinators to pesticides

• Especially insecticides

and fungicides

• If using pesticides, time

correctly

• Time of day

• Flowering cycle

Sustain-Poor Pollination

Don’t Just Stand There, Do

Something!

Solving Problems in the Veggie

Garden

Sustain-How to be a Good

Problem Solver

• Define the

problem

• Identify potential

solutions

• Implement

solutions

• Check results

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

Sustain-Define Problem

• Start with the symptoms

-wilting, leaf discoloration, critter bites?

• Establish context

-time of year, amount of sun, is the problem

getting worse?

Sustain-Questions to Ask Yourself

• What plant(s) are affected? What plant

parts are being affected?

• When did the damage first occur?

• How long has the damage been

occurring?

• Ask yourself about your gardener

practices such as watering, pruning, etc.

Sustain-Identify Potential Causes

• Pest or Disease

• Time of Year Issues

• Gardener Practices• -watering, competition, etc.

• Site Issues• -sun exposure, drainage

Sustain-Pest, Disease, or Neither

Sustain-Pest, Disease, or Neither

Sustain-Identify Potential Solutions

• Ignore

• Change gardener practices • -thin carefully, change your watering

practices, plant density, prune or not.

• Treat pest or disease

Sustain-Some Solutions to Pest Problems

1. Hand Pick-slug, snails, caterpillars, leaf

miners

2. Broad Spectrum Organic/Conventional

Pesticides-can kill good bugs and frogs/fish

too, check labels. (DE, Pyrethrin)

3. Beneficial Insects-can help control pest

populations (buy or attract them).

Sustain-Some Solutions to Pest Problems

4. Trap Them-use cardboard, over turned

cantaloupe, plant trap crops.

5. Barriers-block them with row covers,

kaolin clay

6. Rotate Crops -prevent pest buildup

7. Practice good garden hygiene.

Trap Them Cover Them UpSustain

Sustain-Check Results after Interventions

1. Did things get better? If not, repeat steps

1-4

2. Resources to get help with your veggie

problems:

• Master Gardener clinics

• WSU publications

• Your public library

Sustain-Summary

• Take preventative steps to avoid

problems.

• Use good gardening practices.

• Be a good problem solver.

• Enjoy the garden.

Savor

• Easiest and most fun part of gardening.

-timing is important (beans, melons)

• You will have countless places to donate your

zucchini boats.

• Friends and family will invite you over for

meals more often.

• You will be told you have a green thumb.

• You will be successful in growing your

groceries.

When to Harvest Cantaloupes

Fair Use• -https://hopefarmblog.wordpress.com/2016/05/04/how-to-use-a-mason-jar-to-test-your-soil/

• -https://www.gardenersedge.com/images/500/5976T_1.jpg

• -https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mulch-Plastic-Embossed-Solution/dp/B00BD70XB0

• -https://trashbackwards.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/p1090956.jpg

• http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0j0KOj7vQQc/UISbBwNYJkI/AAAAAAAAFvo/K3GFfMF1R1w/s1600/row+cover.JPG

• http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_HsfFtnEo2zI/S944pgqTP7I/AAAAAAAAAk4/sJ0rpbPnWRo/s1600/IMG_3527.jpg, http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-

fxS8MFkCgFM/T0Lw3q8yIDI/AAAAAAAAEPE/S377QkJcvro/s1600/IMG_4310.JPG

• -https://www.flickr.com/photos/bizzyb0t/5833947740

• -https://i1.wp.com/www.leereich.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Corn-poor-pollination.jpg, http://gardenmentors.com/wp-

content/uploads/2015/07/2015_07_zucchini_pollination.jpg

• -http://thecollaboratory.wdfiles.com/local--files/2013-philosophy-of-thought-logic/steps-to-problem-solve.jpg

• -https://www.forestryimages.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=2200092

• - https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/fieldcropsipm/images/insects/wireworms03.jpg

• -https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Lonicera_leaf_miner_kz.jpg, https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3042/2934465697_b5603f4e83_b.jpg

• -http://highlyuncivilized.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/slug-trap-1a.png. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-

0j0KOj7vQQc/UISbBwNYJkI/AAAAAAAAFvo/K3GFfMF1R1w/s1600/row+cover.JPG

• http://sacmg.ucanr.edu/files/244416.jpg

Break

Allium Family

Leeks-Allium ampeloprasum,

Onions/Shallots-Allium cepa

Garlic-Allium sativum

Chives-Allium schoenoprasum

Garlic Chives-Allium tuberosum

Leek Facts

• More delicate in flavor than its cousins,

onion and shallot.

• Cultivation began 3000+ years ago in the

Mediterranean.

• When you eat leeks, you are eating leaf

sheaths.

What Leeks Like

-Sun: Sunny

-Site: Fertile, Well-

Drained Soil

-Sustain: Lots of

Nitrogen

-Sustain: Consistent

Watering

What Leeks Like

-Start: Start seeds indoors 8-10

weeks before last frost.

-Start: Plant seedlings in trenches

or dibbled holes at least 6 inches

apart.

-Sustain: They like cool growing

conditions.

-Sustain: Mound soil around

plants, allow to grow and pinch off

any flower stalks.

What Leeks Like

-Sustain: Look out

for rots, rust and

onion thrips.

-Sustain: Practice

good garden hygiene

and rotate crops.

What Leeks Like

-Savor: Harvest when

market size.

-Savor: I plant in May and

harvest in September

before they bolt.

-Savor: Pull leeks from

the ground and wash well.

Onion Facts

• Onions have been cultivated for over 5000

years. Origin is uncertain

• Cultivated by everyone-ancient Egyptians,

Sumerians, Romans, and were brought to

America by pilgrims on the Mayflower.

• When you eat onions you are eating

modified leaves.

What Onions Like

-Sun

-Site: Fertile, Well-

Drained Soil

-Sustain: Lots of

Nitrogen

-Sustain: Consistent

Wateringhttps://farm5.staticflickr.com/4085/4843754

524_9be469179e_z.jpg

What Onions Like

Species:-Best types

of onions for PNW are

long day onions.

Start:-If you can poke

a hole you can grow

an onion.

What Onions Like

-Start: Start seeds

indoors 8-10 weeks

before last frost.

-Start: Plant starts out

in May.

What Onions Like-Sustain: Allow your

onions to grow all summer

or until they flower.

-Sustain: Look out for rots,

rust and onion thrips.

-Sustain: Practice good

garden hygiene and rotate

crops.

What Onions Like

-Savor: When ready

to harvest, stop

watering. Pull onions

and let them “cure” for

a week.

-Savor: They are

ready for storage or

the kitchen.

Garlic Basics

• Site – most will do, can do with slightly less

sun, avoid soggy soil

• Soil - thrives in rich, well-drained soil with a pH

between 6.0-7.0 Amend per results of soil test.

• May want to amend with 1 inch layer of

compost, 1/2 cup of bone meal, 1/2 cup

complete organic fertilizer per 5 row feet.

Species of Garlic-source Territorial Seeds

• Start

-Must direct sow in fall, best by Halloween.

-Separate cloves just prior to planting, keeping as

much skin on as possible

-Planted so the tops are 2 inches below the soil

line, pointed-side up. Space cloves 4–6 inches,

space rows 12–24 inches.

-Elephant garlic is planted 6-8 inches apart and

covered with 4-6 inches of soil

-Mulch with clean straw or leaves to 4 inches

Garlic Basics

Garlic Basics• Sustain

-Water, if needed, when spring growth begins may

-Late April to Early May amend with compost or

organic fertilizer

-Cut off any flowering stems (scapes) at the top leaf to

redirect energy to the bulb

-As harvest approaches: water less to avoid molding or

staining

-Adapted to many climates, is bothered by few pests -

more susceptible to disease than pests

Garlic Basics• Savor

• Harvest when the top 4-5 leaves are slightly green and lower leaves are dry

• Dig carefully – avoid bruising

• For eating later – let dry in a cool, shaded, well-ventilated location for several weeks

• After curing is done, you may cut foliage and roots from bulbs and store in mesh bags

Chive Basics

• Site –

-Most will do, can do with slightly less sun, avoid soggy

soil

Soil - Fertile, well-drained soil.

-Amend as indicated by soil test. May apply 1 cup of

organic fertilizer per 5 row feet, and 1 inch of compost

Species –

-Regular and garlic

Chive Basics

Start - Start seeds 6-8 weeks before anticipated

transplant date. Germinates at temperatures between

60-75ºF.

• Small seedlings may be successfully transplanted in

small clumps

• can be transplanted spring and fall

Sustain – Keep watered, look for usual pest suspects.

• Fertilize periodically.

Savor -

Fresh use: Harvest only as needed

Drying: Harvest as flowers start growing, put in

warm(80-90ºF), dark location with good ventilation for

1-2 weeks

Gardener

Education

Supported by

Thank You to the

Issaquah Grange

for donating

classroom space!

http://www.mgfkc.org/resources/growinggroceries